After he was traded to the Indians at the trade deadline for Brandon Moss, it became clear that the Cardinals, at least, see more of a No. 4 starter with Kaminsky than a potential No. 2 or No. 3. Of course, even if he is just a No. 4, that trade still makes plenty of sense for Cleveland, as they get out of doing the arbitration dance with Moss in 2016. There might not be an organization with a better recent run of developing starting pitchers who lacked elite prospect pedigree than the Indians, so the trade shouldn’t harm the 21-year-old hurler’s ability to reach his ceiling. Kaminsky had excellent numbers at High-A, putting up a 2.24 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 104.1 innings, but his 83 strikeouts speak to his lack of frontline stuff. An undersized lefty, Kaminsky has three average pitches and solid-average command, so he won’t really be tested until he is assigned to Double-A, which could happen at the outset of 2016.

2015

Of all the Cardinals' young pitching prospects, Kaminsky may have had the most impressive year. At age 19, Kaminsky dominated at Low-A Peoria, going 8-2 over 100.2 innings while striking out 79 and posting a sparkling 1.87 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. While Kaminsky has at least two more years of seasoning left in the minors, the Cardinals have to be encouraged by his performance against players that were roughly three years older. Kaminsky will likely start 2015 at High-A, but if he continues his dominant ways, he could earn a quick promotion to Double-A Springfield. He's a promising young arm worth keeping an eye on as he won't even turn 21 until September.